Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “In this thrilling Western, a young boy, Rio (Jake Schur), is forced to go on the run across the American Southwest in a desperate attempt to save his sister (Leila George) from his villainous uncle (Chris Pratt). Along the way, he encounters Sheriff Pat Garrett (Ethan Hawke), on the hunt for the infamous outlaw Billy the Kid (Dane DeHaan). Rio finds himself increasingly entwined in the lives of these two legendary figures as the cat and mouse game of Billy the Kid’s final year of life plays out. Ultimately Rio is forced to choose which type of man he is going to become, the outlaw or the man of valor, and will use this self-realization in a final act to save his family.”

…a satisfyingly fresh take on this familiar mythos in “The Kid,” a consistently involving and often exciting drama in which the two Wild West icons are presented from the p.o.v. of an impressionable adolescent who weighs the pros and cons of each man as a role model. …

Joe Leydon, Variety

…You know from the beginning that this will be a dark tale with Rio and Sara’s father beating their mother to death off-screen. …Both Billy and Garrett tell of similar situations from different vantage points with one ultimately embracing the darkness…and the other rejecting it… D’Onofrio isn’t afraid to push his characters to press that trigger. More people will die. …

Jared Mobarak, The Film Stage

…a diverting Western that’s almost worth seeing for its unsaddled performances from Ethan Hawke and Chris Pratt… For a story about a tug-of-war between valor and rebellion, a little more tension between old tropes and new twists would have gone a long way. …more interested in howling at its audience than in telling it a story. [C]

David Ehrlich, IndieWire

…Its scenes wildly escalate to a fever pitch at the drop of a hat, before then ending, more often than not, with abrupt violence. …

Keith Watson, Slant

…Vincent D'Onofrio's Western is broody to a fault… …ultimately mistakes gritty violence and broodiness for substance… gets bogged down in ponderous conversations and exchanges that add little of value to its narrative and provide limited insight into the main characters. The pacing suffers for it…

Sandy Schaefer, ScreenRant

…relegation of female characters to the sidelines is depressing for a film released in 2019, especially because it seems entirely possible to have a film looking at masculinity without reducing women to archetypes…